Long-time monthly donor Norman Sanders shows his gratitude for his successful cancer treatment by supporting other Albertans facing cancer.
Every morning, 85-year-old Norman Sanders wakes up in awe. “I am very fit and active and love my life,” he affirms. His outlook is all the more impressive when you consider that nearly 25 years ago, Sanders was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and his prognosis was not good.
Leading up to his diagnosis, Sanders had always been healthy and active. He ran sub-three-hour marathons, competed in cross-country ski races, went scuba diving and was a pilot. So his cancer diagnosis, at the age of 61, caught him by surprise, putting his active lifestyle on pause.
Sanders was referred to surgeon Dr. Azim Valji, who told him the average person would have eight to 12 months to live, maybe a bit more with surgery. Unfortunately, surgery was too risky as Sanders’ tumour was too close to his heart and trachea. But Sanders isn’t your average person, and he wasn’t going to let cancer stop him.
The father of four did some research and learned of a drug that showed promising results in clinical trials for treating esophageal cancer. His medical team put Sanders on the experimental drug Gleevec, and the tumour began to shrink. After a year, it had shrunk to a small enough size that Valji could perform an esophagectomy (removal of the esophagus). With the surgery a success, Sanders continued to take Gleevec for another year. Since then, he has remained healthy with his only side effect being controlled acid reflux.
Giving back.
Today, Sanders has resumed his active lifestyle, hiking 30 to 40 kilometres every week. And he’s deeply grateful to be able to do so. That gratitude inspired him to become a donor to the Alberta Cancer Foundation for the last 20-plus years. “During my treatment, I was treated so well at the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton,” Sanders says. “When you give, you do what you can. I love to be involved with anything I can do to help get people to give. Every time I get a CT scan at the Cross, I love to hear of the impact my donation makes.”
Sanders and his wife, Carolee, have participated in many cancer fundraisers over the years in addition to their monthly donations to the Alberta Cancer Foundation. “We are not wealthy, but we will support the Alberta Cancer Foundation and the Cross forever,” Sanders says. “The cost of research and drugs is huge. We can’t expect the government to do everything and feel we all have to help out as well.”
Donors like Sanders demonstrate how a monthly donation, given over a number of years, can help the cause and also shows an important commitment to Albertans facing cancer. When asked what advice he has for others who have received a cancer diagnosis, Sanders has this to share: “Cancer is a scary word, but it doesn’t have to be a life sentence. Don’t think that you are going to die. Be your own advocate and learn as much as you can about your type of cancer. And be kind to everyone at the treatment centre. The people at the Cross are the most wonderful people on the planet.”
